4 State College To Play Spring Football Games

As Virginia Tech concludes spring drills with its annual intrasquad game tonight at 7, Coach Frank Beamer will be especially interested in two areas - the offensive line and wide receivers.

The Hokies' passing game suffered during last season, mainly because of a lack of receivers. Tech scored only six touchdowns via the air.

Split end Myron Richardson caught 36 passes and flanker Nick Cullen added 24. But the Hokies lacked depth. Beamer hopes this year will be different.

"I think it's critical to our football team to be capable at wide receiver," said Beamer, who signed four prospects who will join the team in August. "I think we have excellent running backs in the program with Ralph Brown, Jon Jeffries, Rich Fox and Phil Bryant.

"I think it's critical we're able to throw well enough and be enough of a threat at it to open up the running lanes a bit. If we're able to do that, we'll have a very good offense."

Tech is one of four state programs concluding spring drills with games today. Virginia's spring game is at 3 p.m. at Scott Stadium, James Madison's is at 7 p.m. at JMU Stadium and VMI's is at 1:30 at Alumni Field.

Beamer counted on the offensive line being a strength for this season, but suddenly he finds himself working with only one returning starter - guard Skip Pavlik. Center Chris Henderson and guard Tom Hall both started last season but elected not to return to the team because of personal reasons.

Guard Glenn Watts is a returning starter, but he has been practicing only on the weekends to improve his academic situation. Tackles Eugene Ghung and Jimmy Bryson, guards Ernie Davis and Pavlick and center Rob Vaughn are working as the starting line.

"How we develop (at wide receiver) will directly affect our offensive line. its a lot easier to block four or five people than seven or eight.

Virginia

Virginia returns 19 of 22 starters from last year's team that finished 7 - 4 and runnerup in the Atlantic Coast Conference behind Clemson.

"We have fewer question marks than we've had for a long time," Coach George Welsh said.

Welsh's primary concerns are linebacker and depth in the secondary.

The Cavaliers lost both starting linebackers, Jeff Lageman and David Griggs, both of which are expected to be chosen in the NFL draft Sunday.

Welsh also said the Cavaliers' pass rush and the passing game have improved this spring.

VMI

The arrival of Coach Jim Shuck and his switch from a pro-style, pass-oriented offense to the wishbone is the major change this spring.

The time may be ripe for a change, since VMI's quarterback, three-year starter Dave Brown, and top three receivers, including All-American Mark Stock, are gone. Five starters return on offense, four on the line.

There is little experience in the backfield, illustrated by the fact that last year's leading rusher, Scott Council from Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, is fighting for a spot on the two-deep chart. Warwick High grad David Darden is one of six quarterbacks working out and could earn playing time.

Shuck has installed a new defensive scheme, a Multiple 50, essentially a three-lineman, four-linebacker setup. VMI graduated all three starting defensive backs, leaving the secondary as the trouble spot on defense.

James Madison

With 17 starters and 45 lettermen returning, Coach Joe Purzychi has made no major changes this spring. The most interestinig battle is at quarterback. Greg Lancaster started the last seven games of 1988 but decided not to return for a fifth year, leaving Rodger Waters, redshirt freshman Eric Williams of Kecoughtan High School and Tom Greene as the candidates to start.

Waters, a 6-foot-4 junior, is a drop-back-style passer, while Williams and Green are more option-oriented.

Senior defensive tackle Steve Bates probably is JMU's best player, and some JMU coaches believe he'll be better than Charles Haley, a JMU alum who made the Pro Bowl as a member of the Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers.

Richmond

The Spiders concluded spring practice Wednesday, after which Coach Jim Marshall announced that Kyle Horner will start at quarterback in the Sept. 2 opener against Villanova.

Horner, a junior transfer from Tennessee in his first season at Richmond, beat out junior Jeff Snead, a York High Graduate.